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The Sky Sports pundit may rub Reds fans up the wrong way at times, with his desperation for the Gunners to be successful clear, but he's at least honest about Arsenal's title rivals.

Indeed, Merson had all but given up on the league title by January and with his former club now trailing Liverpool by 12 points with nine matches left to play, he's not holding out hope for a miracle in the final stretch of the season.

And it's for that reason that Merson has called for "perspective" after a bad week for Arne Slot's side.



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Liverpool were eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16 phase before losing against Newcastle and Merson said: "That was a tough week for Liverpool but let's get it in perspective, if someone said at the start of the season Liverpool would be champions, you wouldn't have believed them, would you?

"When you sit down in the cold light of day, if you're a Liverpool fan or player, the Premier League is the Holy Grail.

"Especially for Liverpool who've won the Champions League enough times, if someone said to you, right, what do you win this season?

You'd have to say the Premier League.

They've lost one game in the league.

They've just had a bad week.

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"To lose one game in the Premier League is just mind-blowing.

I think everybody's got to just get it in perspective."

The Reds next face Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield after the international break before matches away at Fulham and at home to West Ham United.

They need just 16 points from 27 available to clinch the title, with Arsenal still to travel to Anfield.

Slot's side have lost just once all season in the league and remain on course to win the title in the Dutchman's first season in charge of the club.


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